Optical transmission system and related remote optically pumped amplifier (ROPA) and method

ABSTRACT

An apparatus includes a remote optically pumped amplifier (ROPA). The ROPA includes a bypass filter configured to receive an optical signal and first pump power and to separate the optical signal and the first pump power. The ROPA also includes an amplifier configured to receive the optical signal from the bypass filter and to amplify the optical signal. The ROPA further includes an optical combiner/multiplexer configured to receive the first pump power from the bypass filter, receive at least second and third pump powers, combine at least two of the first, second and third pump powers, and provide different pump powers or combinations of pump powers to different locations within the ROPA to feed the amplifier.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION AND PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/129,610 filed on Mar. 6, 2015.This provisional patent application is hereby incorporated by referencein its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to optical transmission systems. Morespecifically, this disclosure relates to an optical transmission systemand a related remote optically pumped amplifier (ROPA) and method.

BACKGROUND

Optical communication networks are often used to transport large amountsof data over long distances very quickly. At present, sophisticatedoptical communication networks are capable of transmitting tens oftrillions of bits of information per second over a single optical fiberspanning many hundreds of kilometers. Optical communication networksgenerally exceed the bandwidth capabilities of copper networks. As aresult, optical networks are often part of wireline telecommunicationnetworks and are often used to provide optical backbones at the cores ofthe telecommunication networks.

SUMMARY

This disclosure provides an optical transmission system and a relatedremote optically pumped amplifier (ROPA) and method.

In a first embodiment, an apparatus includes a ROPA. The ROPA includes abypass filter configured to receive an optical signal and first pumppower and to separate the optical signal and the first pump power. TheROPA also includes an amplifier configured to receive the optical signalfrom the bypass filter and to amplify the optical signal. The ROPAfurther includes an optical combiner/multiplexer configured to receivethe first pump power from the bypass filter, receive at least second andthird pump powers, combine at least two of the first, second and thirdpump powers, and provide different pump powers or combinations of pumppowers to different locations within the ROPA to feed the amplifier.

In a second embodiment, a system includes an optical communication linkhaving a ROPA. The ROPA includes a bypass filter configured to receivean optical signal and first pump power and to separate the opticalsignal and the first pump power. The ROPA also includes an amplifierconfigured to receive the optical signal from the bypass filter and toamplify the optical signal. The ROPA further includes an opticalcombiner/multiplexer configured to receive the first pump power from thebypass filter, receive at least second and third pump powers, combine atleast two of the first, second and third pump powers, and providedifferent pump powers or combinations of pump powers to differentlocations within the ROPA to feed the amplifier.

In a third embodiment, a method includes receiving an optical signal andfirst pump power at a ROPA. The method also includes separating theoptical signal and the first pump power using a bypass filter of theROPA. The method further includes amplifying the optical signal using anamplifier of the ROPA. The method also includes receiving the first pumppower from the bypass filter and at least second and third pump powersat an optical combiner/multiplexer of the ROPA. In addition, the methodincludes combining at least two of the first, second and third pumppowers and providing different pump powers or combinations of pumppowers to different locations within the ROPA to feed the amplifier.

Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in theart from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is nowmade to the following description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example optical transmission system according tothis disclosure;

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate example architectures of remote opticallypumped amplifiers (ROPAs) for use in optical transmission systemsaccording to this disclosure;

FIGS. 4 through 7 illustrate specific examples of architectures of ROPAsfor use in optical transmission systems according to this disclosure;

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate example multi-stage architectures of ROPAs foruse in optical transmission systems according to this disclosure;

FIGS. 10 through 12 illustrate a specific example of an opticaltransmission system and related ROPAs according to this disclosure;

FIG. 13 illustrates an example multi-span optical transmission systemaccording to this disclosure; and

FIG. 14 illustrates an example method for operating a ROPA in an opticaltransmission system according to this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 through 14, discussed below, and the various embodiments used todescribe the principles of the present invention in this patent documentare by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any wayto limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art willunderstand that the principles of the invention may be implemented inany type of suitably arranged device or system.

This disclosure provides various architectures for remote opticallypumped amplifiers (ROPAs) and optical transmission systems that utilizesuch ROPAs. In some embodiments, these ROPAs and optical transmissionsystems support the use of one or more unrepeatered opticalcommunication links. An “unrepeatered” optical communication link refersto an optical link in which active optical repeaters are not used. Incontrast, a “repeatered” optical communication link refers to an opticallink in which one or more active optical repeaters are used at one ormore in-line optical amplification sites. One aspect differentiatingrepeatered and unrepeatered optical communication links is the fact thatactive optical repeaters need a source of electrical power, so a copperconductor is typically used in a cable for a repeatered communicationlink in order to electrically power optical amplifiers within the activeoptical repeaters. Unrepeatered optical cables do not have the abilityto supply electrical power to in-line equipment. Instead, conventionalunrepeatered optical networks often use ROPAs to amplify optical signalsas the optical signals traverse the optical links. Each ROPA is notelectrically powered locally but is rather optically pumped from one endof a communication link, hence the terminology “remote optically pumped”amplifier.

Unrepeatered transmission systems have a number of potentialapplications including submarine and terrestrial optical communications,such as in optical fiber networks embedded into power cable systems ofpower utilities. In some instances, a ROPA is used on only the “receiveside” of an unrepeatered optical link. In other instances, ROPAs areused on both the “transmit side” and the “receive side” of anunrepeatered optical link. The “transmit side” refers to the portion ofan optical link closer to a transmitting end-point or terminal, and the“receive side” refers to the portion of an optical link closer to areceiving end-point or terminal. When optical fibers are used in pairs(one for transmission in one direction and another for transmission inthe opposite direction), the ROPA on the transmit side of one opticalfiber can be placed in the same housing as the ROPA on the receive sideof the other optical fiber.

While often described below as being used in a single-span unrepeateredoptical transmission system, the principles described in this patentdocument are not limited to such systems. The principles described inthis patent document could find use in other systems, such as amulti-span optical transmission system in which multiple ROPAs are usedin-line with multiple spans of optical fibers or in amplified opticaltransmission systems. In general, the principles described in thispatent document can be used in any system where there is an optical spanthat is long and lossy or where remote optical amplification isotherwise needed or desired in an optical span. The use of one or moreROPAs in these types of optical links allows amplification of opticalsignals without the need for regeneration points.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example optical transmission system 100 accordingto this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 100 includes a firstend-point or terminal 102, a second end-point or terminal 104, and atleast one optical communication link 106. The end-points or terminals102 and 104 communicate with one another via the optical communicationlink 106 to exchange data. Each end-point or terminal 102 and 104 alsotypically communicates with external devices or systems. Each end-pointor terminal 102 and 104 generally denotes any suitable device or systemthat communicates optically. Each end-point or terminal 102 and 104could, for example, denote components on opposite sides of an opticalcommunication link 106 that can span hundreds of kilometers over land orunder water.

The optical communication link 106 here denotes a bi-directional opticallink. The optical communication link 106 includes a first optical link108 a supporting optical transmissions from the first end-point orterminal 102 to the second end-point or terminal 104 and a secondoptical link 108 b supporting optical transmissions from the secondend-point or terminal 104 to the first end-point or terminal 102. Theoptical links 108 a and 108 b are often said to denote a “fiber pair.”Note that while two optical links in one fiber pair are shown in FIG. 1,any number of optical links or fiber pairs could be used between theend-points or terminals 102 and 104. For ease of explanation, thestructure of the optical link 108 a is described in greater detailbelow, and the optical link 108 b could have the same or similarconfiguration (although this need not be the case).

As shown here, the optical link 108 a includes both a forward ROPA 110and a backward ROPA 112. Each ROPA 110 and 112 denotes an opticalamplifier that operates using pump power provided to the ROPA 110 and112 through the optical link 108 a. The ROPAs 110 and 112 need not beprovided electrical power through a copper or other conductor in theoptical link 108 a. The ROPA 110 is referred to as a “forward” ROPAbecause the pump power used by the ROPA 110 flows from the end-point orterminal 102 to the ROPA 110 in the same direction as optical signalssent from the end-point or terminal 102 to the end-point or terminal104. In contrast, the ROPA 112 is referred to as a “backward” ROPAbecause the pump power used by the ROPA 112 flows from the end-point orterminal 104 to the ROPA 112 in an opposite direction as the opticalsignals sent from the end-point or terminal 102 to the end-point orterminal 104.

The ROPA 110 is coupled to the end-point or terminal 102 by three ormore optical fibers 114 a-114 n. Optical signals containing data sentfrom the end-point or terminal 102 to the end-point or terminal 104travel over the optical fiber 114 a to the ROPA 110. Pump power for theROPA 110 is sent from various pump sources 116 a-116 n in an opticaltransmitter 118 of the end-point or terminal 102 through the opticalfibers 114 a-114 n. The ROPA 110 operates to amplify the optical signalsreceived over the optical fiber 114 a using the pump power received overthe optical fibers 114 a-114 n. As described in more detail below, theROPA 110 implements spatial and wavelength multiplexing to moreeffectively use the pump power from the pump sources 116 a-116 n inorder to amplify the optical signals traveling through the optical link108 a.

The ROPA 110 includes any suitable remotely-pumped structure foroptically amplifying signals. Each of the optical fibers 114 a-114 nincludes any suitable optical fiber for transporting optical signals orpump power. In some instances, each of the optical fibers 114 a-114 ncould have a length of over 100 or 120 kilometers. Each of the pumpsources 116 a-116 n includes any suitable structure for providing pumppower to a remote optical amplifier. Each of the pump sources 116 a-116n could, for instance, denote one or more lasers. The opticaltransmitter 118 includes any suitable structure for generating opticalsignals for transmission over an optical link.

An optical fiber 120 couples the forward ROPA 110 and the backward ROPA112. The optical fiber 120 includes any suitable optical fiber fortransporting optical signals. In some instances, the optical fiber 120could have a length of over 500 or 600 kilometers.

The backward ROPA 112 operates in a similar manner as the forward ROPA110, but the direction that the pump power travels is reversed. The ROPA112 is coupled to the end-point or terminal 104 by three or more opticalfibers 122 a-122 n. Optical signals containing data sent from theend-point or terminal 102 to the end-point or terminal 104 travel overthe optical fiber 122 a to the end-point or terminal 104. Pump power forthe ROPA 112 is sent from various pump sources 124 a-124 n in an opticalreceiver 126 of the end-point or terminal 104 through the optical fibers122 a-122 n. The ROPA 112 operates to amplify the optical signalsreceived over the optical fiber 120 using the pump power received overthe optical fibers 122 a-122 n. As described in more detail below, theROPA 112 implements spatial and wavelength multiplexing to moreeffectively use the pump power from the pump sources 124 a-124 n inorder to amplify the optical signals traveling through the optical link108 a.

The ROPA 112 includes any suitable remotely-pumped structure foroptically amplifying signals. Each of the optical fibers 122 a-122 nincludes any suitable optical fiber for transporting optical signals orpump power. In some instances, each of the optical fibers 122 a-122 ncould have a length of over 150 kilometers. Each of the pump sources 124a-124 n includes any suitable structure for providing pump power to aremote optical amplifier. Each of the pump sources 124 a-124 n could,for instance, denote one or more lasers. The optical receiver 126includes any suitable structure for processing optical signals receivedover an optical link.

Communications from the end-point or terminal 104 to the end-point orterminal 102 over the optical link 108 b could occur in the same orsimilar manner. The optical link 108 b includes a forward ROPA 130 and abackward ROPA 132. The forward ROPA 130 is coupled to the end-point orterminal 104 by three or more optical fibers 134 a-134 n, and pumpsources 136 a-136 n of an optical transmitter 138 provide pump power tothe ROPA 130. The forward ROPA 130 is coupled to the backward ROPA 132by an optical fiber 140. The backward ROPA 132 is coupled to theend-point or terminal 102 by three or more optical fibers 142 a-142 n,and pump sources 144 a-144 n of an optical receiver 146 provide pumppower to the ROPA 132.

Each ROPA 130 and 132 includes any suitable remotely-pumped structurefor optically amplifying signals. In some instances, the ROPAs 110 and132 could be placed in a common housing, and the ROPAs 112 and 130 couldbe placed in a common housing. Each of the optical fibers 134 a-134 n,142 a-142 n includes any suitable optical fiber for transporting opticalsignals or pump power. In some instances, each of the optical fibers 134a-134 n could have a length of over 100 or 120 kilometers, and each ofthe optical fibers 142 a-142 n could have a length of over 150kilometers. Each of the pump sources 136 a-136 n, 144 a-144 n includesany suitable structure for providing pump power to a remote opticalamplifier, such as one or more lasers. The optical transmitter 138includes any suitable structure for generating optical signals fortransmission over an optical link. The optical receiver 146 includes anysuitable structure for processing optical signals received over anoptical link.

In some embodiments, Raman amplification can occur in the optical links114 a, 122 a, 134 a, 142 a using pump power from the pump sources 116 a,124 a, 136 a, 144 a. Any residual pump power sent over the optical links114 a, 122 a, 134 a, 142 a and received at the ROPAs 110, 112, 130, 132could be referred to as a “remnant” of the pump power. As described inmore detail below, the spatial and wavelength multiplexing provided bythe ROPAs 110, 112, 130, 132 can involve (i) any remnant pump powersreceived over the optical links 114 a, 122 a, 134 a, 142 a and (ii) atleast two additional pump powers received over the optical links 114b-114 n, 122 b-122 n, 134 b-134 n, 142 b-142 n. In some embodiments, theRaman amplification provided in the communication link 106 could denotefirst-order Raman amplification or fractional-order Raman amplificationbut not multi-order Raman amplification. This means that optical signalscan be directly pumped with a shift of one Raman order or with afractional shift of one Raman order. A system capable of providingfractional-order Raman amplification is described in U.S. Pat. No.7,567,593, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates one example of an optical transmissionsystem 100, various changes may be made to FIG. 1. For example, FIG. 1is meant to illustrate one example environment in which certain ROPAarchitectures could be used. There are a number of single-span andmulti-span configurations that could benefit from the use of these ROPAarchitectures, and FIG. 1 does not limit this disclosure to use of aROPA architecture in any specific system. One example of a multi-spanconfiguration containing ROPAs is disclosed in U.S. Patent PublicationNo. 2015/0270676, which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety. Also, while shown as including both forward and backward ROPAs110, 112, 130, 132 on each optical link 108 a-108 b, an optical linkcould include only one of these ROPAs. Further, there is no requirementthat the same design be used for the optical links 108 a-108 b. Inaddition, any specific ROPA architectures discussed below could bereplicated and used in any number of optical links and fiber pairsbetween components of the optical transmission system 100 or otheroptical transmission system.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate example architectures of ROPAs for use inoptical transmission systems according to this disclosure. For ease ofexplanation, the ROPA architectures in FIGS. 2 and 3 may be described asoperating in the optical transmission system 100 of FIG. 1. However,these ROPA architectures could be used in any other suitable system.

In FIG. 2, a ROPA architecture 200 for a forward ROPA is illustrated.The ROPA architecture 200 here includes at least three optical paths 202a-202 n, which denote the optical paths through which optical signalsand pump power flow to the forward ROPA. The optical paths 202 a-202 ncould, for instance, denote or be coupled to the optical fibers 114a-114 n or 134 a-134 n in FIG. 1.

The optical path 202 a transports optical signals being communicatedbetween the end-points or terminals 102 and 104 to the forward ROPA. Theoptical signals could denote any suitable optical signals. In someembodiments, the optical signals denote Wavelength Division Multiplexing(WDM) or Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) signals. Thesetypes of optical signals generally denote signals formed by wavelengthmultiplexing of optical carriers at different frequencies. In the mostbasic case, there may be only one optical carrier for a signal, butthere are generally multiple optical carriers in WDM or DWDM signals.

The optical paths 202 a-202 n also transport pump power to the forwardROPA for use in amplifying the optical signals. Each pump powertraveling over the optical paths 202 a-202 n has an associatedwavelength or wavelength range denoted λ_({1-n}). Although the differentpump powers in FIG. 2 are associated with wavelengths or wavelengthranges λ₁ through λ_(n), this does not necessarily require that eachoptical path 202 a-202 n transport pump power at a different wavelengthor wavelength range. It is possible for some of the pump powerstransported over different optical paths 202 a-202 n to partially orcompletely overlap in wavelength, as long as there are pump powershaving at least three distinct wavelengths transported over the opticalpaths 202 a-202 n.

As noted above, the pump power sent over the optical fiber 114 a, 134 acould be used for Raman amplification. As a result, only part of thepump power sent over the optical fiber 114 a, 134 a (the “remnant” pumppower) may be received by the forward ROPA over the optical path 202 a.

The ROPA architecture 200 includes a bypass hybrid filter 204, a fiberamplifier 206, and an optical combiner/multiplexer unit 208. The hybridfilter 204 generally operates to separate the optical signals receivedover the optical path 202 a from any remnant pump power received overthe optical path 202 a, provide the optical signals to the fiberamplifier 206, and provide the remnant pump power to the opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 208. The fiber amplifier 206 generallyoperates to amplify optical signals using pump power received at one ormore locations of the ROPA architecture 200. The opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 208 supports both spatial and wavelengthmultiplexing of the pump powers and the ability to provide the pumppowers to different locations within the ROPA architecture 200.

In this example, the hybrid filter 204 is formed using an opticaldemultiplexer 210, an optical isolator 212, and an optical multiplexer214. There is an additional optical multiplexer 216 following the fiberamplifier 206, which generates output signals on an optical path 218.The optical path 218 could, for example, denote or be coupled to theoptical fiber 120 or 140 in FIG. 1.

The optical demultiplexer 210 operates to separate the optical signalsfrom the remnant pump power received over the optical path 202 a. Theoptical demultiplexer 210 provides the optical signals to the opticalmultiplexer 214 via the optical isolator 212, and the opticaldemultiplexer 210 provides the remnant pump power to the opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 208. The optical isolator 212 operates toisolate the remnant pump power from passing through to the opticalmultiplexer 214. The optical multiplexers 214 and 216 operate to combinethe optical signals with pump powers provided by the opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 208 onto common optical fibers. The opticalmultiplexer 214 feeds the fiber amplifier 206 in the forward direction,and the optical multiplexer 216 feeds the fiber amplifier 206 in thebackward direction. The result here is that different pump powers cantravel at least partially through the ROPA architecture 200 along pathsthat are parallel with the optical signals being amplified, and the pumppowers can be fed in different directions to the fiber amplifier 206.

The optical demultiplexer 210 includes any suitable structure forseparating optical signals and pump powers. The optical isolator 212includes any suitable structure for isolating optical signals and pumppowers. Each of the optical multiplexers 214 and 216 includes anysuitable structure for combining optical signals and pump powers. Insome embodiments, a ROPA with a bypass component can be implemented asdisclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/214,010, which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The fiber amplifier 206 denotes any suitable optical fiber structureconfigured to amplify optical signals. In some embodiments, the fiberamplifier 206 denotes an Erbium-doped fiber amplifier, although othersuitable fiber amplifiers or other types of amplifiers could also beused.

The optical combiner/multiplexer unit 208 operates to redirect andselectively combine the pump powers received from the optical paths 202a-202 n and to provide the pump powers to the optical multiplexers 214and 216. As noted above, the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 208provides both wavelength and spatial multiplexing of the pump powers.Wavelength multiplexing is accomplished by combining pump powers atdifferent wavelengths or wavelength ranges. Spatial multiplexing isaccomplished by providing pump powers to different locations within theROPA architecture 200, such as by providing different pump powers todifferent optical multiplexers 214 and 216. Various implementations ofthe optical combiner/multiplexer unit 208 are described below.

The optical combiner/multiplexer unit 208 can be coupled to each of thecomponents 210, 214, 216 via an optical fiber. Each of the locationswhere the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 208 can provide pump powers(to the optical multiplexers 214 and 216 in this example) may bereferred to as a port. The optical combiner/multiplexer unit 208therefore provides spatial and wavelength multiplexing between its threeinput optical fibers and the two ports. Note that while the opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 208 is shown here as providing pump power totwo locations, there could be additional locations where pump power canbe provided. For example, pump power could be injected into differentsegments of the fiber amplifier 206.

In FIG. 3, a ROPA architecture 300 for a backward ROPA is illustrated.The ROPA architecture 300 here includes at least three optical paths 302a-302 n, which denote the optical paths through which pump power flowsto the backward ROPA and optical signals flow from the backward ROPA.The optical paths 302 a-302 n could, for instance, denote or be coupledto the optical fibers 122 a-122 n or 142 a-142 n in FIG. 1.

The optical path 302 a transports optical signals being communicatedbetween the end-points or terminals 102 and 104 from the backward ROPAto the end-point or terminal 104. The optical signals could denote anysuitable optical signals, such as WDM or DWDM signals. The optical paths302 a-302 n also transport pump power to the backward ROPA for use inamplifying the optical signals. The pump power traveling over theoptical path 302 a travels in the opposite direction as the opticalsignals. Each pump power traveling over the optical paths 302 a-302 nhas an associated wavelength or wavelength range λ_({1-n}). Again,although the different pump powers in FIG. 3 are associated withwavelengths or wavelength ranges λ₁ through λ_(n), this does notnecessarily require that each optical path 302 a-302 n transport pumppower at a different wavelength or wavelength range. It is possible forsome of the pump powers transported over different optical paths 302a-302 n to partially or completely overlap in wavelength, as long asthere are pump powers having at least three distinct wavelengthstransported over the optical paths 302 a-302 n.

As noted above, the pump power sent over the optical fiber 122 a, 142 acould be used for Raman amplification. As a result, only a remnant ofthe pump power sent over the optical fiber 122 a, 142 a may be receivedby the backward ROPA over the optical path 302 a.

The ROPA architecture 300 includes a bypass hybrid filter 304, a fiberamplifier 306, and an optical combiner/multiplexer unit 308. The hybridfilter 304 generally operates to separate optical signals received overan optical path 318 from any remnant pump power received over theoptical path 302 a, provide the optical signals to the optical path 302a, and provide the remnant pump power to the opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 308. The fiber amplifier 306 generallyoperates to amplify optical signals using pump power received at one ormore locations of the ROPA architecture 300. The opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 308 supports both spatial and wavelengthmultiplexing of the pump powers and the ability to provide the pumppowers to different locations within the ROPA architecture 300.

In this example, the hybrid filter 304 is formed using an opticaldemultiplexer 310, an optical isolator 312, and an optical multiplexer314. There is an additional optical multiplexer 316 preceding the fiberamplifier 306, which receives optical signals on the optical path 318.The optical path 318 could, for example, denote or be coupled to theoptical fiber 120 or 140 in FIG. 1.

The optical demultiplexer 310 operates to separate the optical signalsfrom the remnant pump power received over the optical path 302 a. Theoptical demultiplexer 310 provides the optical signals to the opticalpath 302 a, and the optical demultiplexer 310 provides the remnant pumppower to the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 308. The optical isolator312 operates to isolate the remnant pump power from passing through tothe optical multiplexer 314. The optical multiplexers 314 and 316operate to combine the optical signals with pump powers provided by theoptical combiner/multiplexer unit 308 onto common optical fibers. Theoptical multiplexer 316 feeds the fiber amplifier 306 in the forwarddirection, and the optical multiplexer 314 feeds the fiber amplifier 306in the backward direction. The result here is that different pump powerscan travel at least partially through the ROPA architecture 300 alongpaths that are parallel with the optical signals being amplified, andthe pump powers can be fed in different directions to the fiberamplifier 306.

The optical demultiplexer 310 includes any suitable structure forseparating optical signals and pump powers. The optical isolator 312includes any suitable structure for isolating optical signals and pumppowers. Each of the optical multiplexers 314 and 316 includes anysuitable structure for combining optical signals and pump powers. Again,in some embodiments, a ROPA with a bypass component can be implementedas disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/314,010.

The fiber amplifier 306 denotes any suitable optical fiber structureconfigured to amplify optical signals. In some embodiments, the fiberamplifier 306 denotes an Erbium-doped fiber amplifier, although othersuitable fiber amplifiers or other types of amplifiers could also beused.

The optical combiner/multiplexer unit 308 operates to redirect andselectively combine the pump powers received from the optical paths 302a-302 n and to provide the pump powers to the optical multiplexers 314and 316. Again, the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 308 provides bothwavelength and spatial multiplexing of the pump powers. Variousimplementations of the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 308 aredescribed below.

The optical combiner/multiplexer unit 308 can be coupled to each of thecomponents 310, 314, 316 via an optical fiber. Each of the locationswhere the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 308 can provide pump powers(to the optical multiplexers 314 and 316 in this example) may bereferred to as a port. The optical combiner/multiplexer unit 308therefore provides spatial and wavelength multiplexing between its threeinput optical fibers and the two ports. Note that while the opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 308 is shown here as providing pump power totwo locations, there could be additional locations where pump power canbe provided. For example, pump power could be injected into differentsegments of the fiber amplifier 306.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, the forward and backward ROPA architectures 200 and300 allow different pump powers to be both spatially and wavelengthmultiplexed within the ROPAs. The bypass components allow the opticalsignals being amplified to pass, while the pump powers can be providedto appropriate locations within the ROPAs to support more efficient andeffective amplification of the optical signals. This can be accomplishedwithout requiring the optical fibers that carry only pump powers toextend across the complete span between the end-points or terminals 102and 104. Rather, each optical fiber that carries only pump power mayextend only to the closest ROPA.

Although FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate examples of architectures 200, 300 ofROPAs for use in optical transmission systems, various changes may bemade to FIGS. 2 and 3. For example, the numbers of optical pathscarrying pump powers can vary as needed or desired. Also, the numbers ofinputs and outputs of the various optical combiner/multiplexer units canvary as needed or desired.

FIGS. 4 through 7 illustrate specific examples of architectures of ROPAsfor use in optical transmission systems according to this disclosure. Inparticular, FIGS. 4 through 7 illustrate ROPAs with specificimplementations of the optical combiner/multiplexer units 208 and 308described above. For ease of explanation, the ROPA architectures inFIGS. 4 through 7 may be described as operating in the opticaltransmission system 100 of FIG. 1. However, these ROPA architecturescould be used in any other suitable system.

As shown in FIG. 4, a forward ROPA architecture 400 includes variouscomponents 202 a-202 n, 204, 206, 210, 212, 214, 216, 218 describedabove with respect to FIG. 2. The forward ROPA architecture 400 alsoimplements the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 208 using two pumpcombiners 402 and 404. Each pump combiner 402 and 404 denotes anysuitable pump combiner, multiplexer, or other structure(s) configured tocombine pump powers. While each pump combiner 402 and 404 is shown as asingle component in FIG. 4, each pump combiner 402 and 404 could beimplemented using multiple devices to perform the desired combiningfunction.

In this example, the pump combiner 402 receives the remnant of the pumppower from the optical path 202 a and pump powers from a subset of theremaining optical paths 202 b-202 n. The pump combiner 404 receives pumppowers from another subset of the remaining optical paths 202 b-202 n.The pump combiner 404 feeds pump power(s) to the optical multiplexer214, while the pump combiner 402 feeds pump power(s) to the opticalmultiplexer 216.

As shown in FIG. 5, a forward ROPA architecture 500 includes variouscomponents 202 a-202 n, 204, 206, 210, 212, 214, 216, 218 describedabove with respect to FIG. 2. The forward ROPA architecture 500 alsoimplements the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 208 using two pumpcombiners 502 and 504. Each pump combiner 502 and 504 denotes anysuitable pump combiner, multiplexer, or other structure(s) configured tocombine pump powers. While each pump combiner 502 and 504 is shown as asingle component in FIG. 5, each pump combiner 502 and 504 could beimplemented using multiple devices to perform the desired combiningfunction.

In this example, the pump combiner 504 receives the remnant of the pumppower from the optical path 202 a and pump powers from a subset of theremaining optical paths 202 b-202 n. The pump combiner 502 receives pumppowers from another subset of the remaining optical paths 202 b-202 n.The pump combiner 502 feeds pump power(s) to the optical multiplexer216, while the pump combiner 504 feeds pump power(s) to the opticalmultiplexer 214.

As can be seen here, FIGS. 4 and 5 indicate that different pump powersfrom different optical paths 202 b-202 n can be combined in differentways and provided to the optical multiplexers 214 and 216. FIGS. 4 and 5also indicate that the remnant of the pump power from the optical path202 a can be provided to either of the optical multiplexers 214 and 216.In this way, the ROPA architectures 400 and 500 support both wavelengthand spatial multiplexing of the pump powers.

It should be noted that the multiplexers and the connections to themultiplexers in FIGS. 4 and 5 are for illustration only and that atleast three pump powers can be combined and provided to multiplelocations within a forward ROPA in any other suitable manner. Forexample, assume only three pump powers λ₁, λ₂, and λ₃ are received inFIG. 4. In such a case, the pump combiner 404 could be omitted, the pumppower λ₃ could be provided directly to the optical multiplexer 214, andthe pump combiner 402 could be used to combine the remnant of the pumppower λ₁ and the pump power λ₂ and provide the resulting power to theoptical multiplexer 216. In other words, there are a wide variety ofways in which at least some of three or more optical pump powers can becombined (wavelength multiplexed) and provided to different locations(spatially multiplexed).

As shown in FIG. 6, a backward ROPA architecture 600 includes variouscomponents 302 a-302 n, 304, 306, 310, 312, 314, 316, 318 describedabove with respect to FIG. 3. The backward ROPA architecture 600 alsoimplements the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 308 using two pumpcombiners 602 and 604. Each pump combiner 602 and 604 denotes anysuitable pump combiner, multiplexer, or other structure(s) configured tocombine pump powers. While each pump combiner 602 and 604 is shown as asingle component in FIG. 6, each pump combiner 602 and 604 could beimplemented using multiple devices to perform the desired combiningfunction.

In this example, the pump combiner 602 receives the remnant of the pumppower from the optical path 302 a and pump powers from a subset of theremaining optical paths 302 b-302 n. The pump combiner 604 receives pumppowers from another subset of the remaining optical paths 302 b-302 n.The pump combiner 604 feeds pump power(s) to the optical multiplexer314, while the pump combiner 602 feeds pump power(s) to the opticalmultiplexer 316.

As shown in FIG. 7, a backward ROPA architecture 700 includes variouscomponents 302 a-302 n, 304, 306, 310, 312, 314, 316, 318 describedabove with respect to FIG. 3. The backward ROPA architecture 700 alsoimplements the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 308 using two pumpcombiners 702 and 704. Each pump combiner 702 and 704 denotes anysuitable pump combiner, multiplexer, or other structure(s) configured tocombine pump powers. While each pump combiner 702 and 704 is shown as asingle component in FIG. 7, each pump combiner 702 and 704 could beimplemented using multiple devices to perform the desired combiningfunction.

In this example, the pump combiner 704 receives the remnant of the pumppower from the optical path 302 a and pump powers from a subset of theremaining optical paths 302 b-302 n. The pump combiner 702 receives pumppowers from another subset of the remaining optical paths 302 b-302 n.The pump combiner 702 feeds pump power(s) to the optical multiplexer316, while the pump combiner 704 feeds pump power(s) to the opticalmultiplexer 314.

As can be seen here, FIGS. 6 and 7 indicate that different pump powersfrom different optical paths 302 b-302 n can be combined in differentways and provided to the optical multiplexers 314 and 316. FIGS. 6 and 7also indicate that the remnant of the pump power from the optical path302 a can be provided to either of the optical multiplexers 314 and 316.In this way, the ROPA architectures 600 and 700 support both wavelengthand spatial multiplexing of the pump powers.

Again, it should be noted that the multiplexers and the connections tothe multiplexers in FIGS. 6 and 7 are for illustration only and that atleast three pump powers can be combined and provided to multiplelocations within a backward ROPA in any other suitable manner. There area wide variety of ways in which at least some of three or more opticalpump powers can be combined (wavelength multiplexed) and provided todifferent locations (spatially multiplexed).

Although FIGS. 4 through 7 illustrate specific examples of architecturesof ROPAs for use in optical transmission systems, various changes may bemade to FIGS. 4 through 7. For example, the numbers of optical pathscarrying pump powers can vary as needed or desired. Also, the numbers ofinputs and outputs of the various optical combiner/multiplexer units canvary as needed or desired.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate example multi-stage architectures of ROPAs foruse in optical transmission systems according to this disclosure. Forease of explanation, the ROPA architectures in FIGS. 8 and 9 may bedescribed as operating in the optical transmission system 100 of FIG. 1.However, these ROPA architectures could be used in any other suitablesystem.

As shown in FIG. 8, a forward ROPA architecture 800 includes opticalpaths 802 a-802 n, which may be the same as or similar to the opticalpaths 202 a-202 n in FIG. 2. The ROPA architecture 800 also includesmultiple amplification stages formed by bypass hybrid filters 804 a-804b and fiber amplifiers 806 a-806 b. Each of the bypass hybrid filters804 a-804 b could be the same as or similar to the bypass hybrid filter204 in FIG. 2, and each of the fiber amplifiers 806 a-806 b could be thesame as or similar to the fiber amplifier 206 in FIG. 2. Each of thebypass hybrid filters 804 a-804 b includes an optical demultiplexer 810a-801 b, an optical isolator 812 a-812 b, and an optical multiplexer 814a-814 b, which could be the same as or similar to the correspondingcomponents 210, 212, 214 in FIG. 2. An additional optical multiplexer816 follows the second stage of amplification in FIG. 8 and generatesoutput signals on an optical path 818.

An optical combiner/multiplexer unit 808 operates to redirect andselectively combine the pump powers from the optical paths 802 a-802 nand to provide the pump powers to the optical multiplexers 814 a, 814 b,and 816 and to the optical demultiplexer 810 b. The opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 808 provides both wavelength and spatialmultiplexing of the pump powers in this manner. The opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 808 can be coupled to each of the components810 b, 814 a, 814 b, and 816 via an optical fiber.

Each of the locations where the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 808can provide pump powers (to the components 810 b, 814 a, 814 b, and 816in this example) may be referred to as a port. The opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 808 therefore provides spatial and wavelengthmultiplexing between its three input optical fibers and the four ports.In some embodiments, two or four of the ports could receive pump powersfrom the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 808. If only two of the portsreceive pump powers, the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 808 couldcreate a bypass between the optical demultiplexer 810 b and the opticalmultiplexer 814 b so that pump powers are supplied only to the opticalmultiplexers 814 a and 816. If four of the ports receive pump powersfrom the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 808, the opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 808 can provide any suitable combinations ofpump powers to the optical multiplexers 814 a, 814 b, and 816 and theoptical demultiplexer 810 b.

As shown in FIG. 9, a backward ROPA architecture 900 includes opticalpaths 902 a-902 n, which may be the same as or similar to the opticalpaths 302 a-302 n in FIG. 3. The ROPA architecture 900 also includesmultiple amplification stages formed by bypass hybrid filters 904 a-904b and fiber amplifiers 906 a-906 b. Each of the bypass hybrid filters904 a-904 b could be the same as or similar to the bypass hybrid filter304 in FIG. 3, and each of the fiber amplifiers 906 a-906 b could be thesame as or similar to the fiber amplifier 306 in FIG. 3. Each of thebypass hybrid filters 904 a-904 b includes an optical demultiplexer 910a-901 b, an optical isolator 912 a-912 b, and an optical multiplexer 914a-914 b, which could be the same as or similar to the correspondingcomponents 310, 312, 314 in FIG. 3. An additional optical multiplexer916 precedes the amplification stages in FIG. 9 and receives opticalsignals on an optical path 918.

An optical combiner/multiplexer unit 908 operates to redirect andselectively combine the pump powers from the optical paths 902 a-902 nand to provide the pump powers to the optical multiplexers 914 a, 914 b,and 916 and to the optical demultiplexer 910 b. The opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 908 provides both wavelength and spatialmultiplexing of the pump powers in this manner. The opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 908 can be coupled to each of the components910 b, 914 a, 914 b, and 916 via an optical fiber.

Each of the locations where the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 908can provide pump powers (to the components 910 b, 914 a, 914 b, and 916in this example) may be referred to as a port. The opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 908 therefore provides spatial and wavelengthmultiplexing between its three input optical fibers and the four ports.In some embodiments, two or four of the ports could receive pump powersfrom the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 908. If only two of the portsreceive pump powers, the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 908 couldcreate a bypass between the optical demultiplexer 910 b and the opticalmultiplexer 914 b so that pump powers are supplied only to the opticalmultiplexers 914 a and 916. If four of the ports receive pump powersfrom the optical combiner/multiplexer unit 908, the opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit 908 can provide any suitable combinations ofpump powers to the optical multiplexers 914 a, 914 b, and 916 and theoptical demultiplexer 910 b.

As can be seen here, the ability to duplicate the amplification stagesin a ROPA increases the number of locations where pump powers can beinjected into the ROPA. As a result, this approach provides greaterflexibility is allowing pump powers to be combined and used to amplifyoptical signals in the ROPA.

Although FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate examples of multi-stage architectures800 and 900 of ROPAs for use in optical transmission systems, variouschanges may be made to FIGS. 8 and 9. For example, each ROPA couldinclude more than two amplification stages. Also, the numbers of opticalpaths carrying pump powers can vary as needed or desired. In addition,the numbers of inputs and outputs of the various opticalcombiner/multiplexer units can vary as needed or desired.

FIGS. 10 through 12 illustrate a specific example of an opticaltransmission system 1000 and related ROPAs according to this disclosure.The optical transmission system 1000 in this example denotes anultra-long unrepeatered system that can achieve transmissions over 600kilometers at 10 gigabits per second (10 G) or 100 gigabits per second(100 G). While the optical transmission system 1000 shown in FIG. 10 isa unidirectional link, the same structure could be replicated to createa bi-directional link or multiple bi-directional links.

As shown in FIG. 10, a line card 1002 denotes an optical transmitter,such as a 10 G or 100 G line card. An Erbium-doped fiber amplifier(EDFA) 1004 amplifies the optical signals from the line card 1002, and aDispersion Compensation Unit (DCU) 1006 is used with the EDFA 1004. AWavelength Selective Switch (WSS) 1008 follows the EDFA 1004. Pumpsources 1010 a-1010 n generate pump powers, which are provided overoptical fibers 1012 a-1012 n to a forward ROPA 1014. An optical fiber1016 couples the forward ROPA 1014 to a backward ROPA 1018. Pump sources1020 a-1020 n generate pump powers, which are provided over opticalfibers 1022 a-1022 n to the backward ROPA 1016. An EDFA 1024 amplifiesoptical signals from the backward ROPA 1016, and a WSS 1026 follows theEDFA 1024. A line card 1028 denotes an optical receiver, such as a 10 Gor 100 G line card.

A particular implementation of the system 1000 can have the followingcharacteristics, although these details are for illustration only. Theline card 1002 can be configured to transmit 100 G at 1563.86 nm or 10 Gat 1563.05 nm. A 100 G signal can be NRZ-PM-QPSK modulated at 120gigabits per second, which accounts for a 15% overhead for aSoft-Decision Forward Error Correction (SD-FEC) code. The SD-FEC cancorrect a bit error rate (BER) of 1.9×10⁻² to less than 10⁻¹⁵ (NCG of11.1 dB). A 10 G channel can operate at 12.5 gigabits per second, whichincludes a 25% overhead for an Ultra FEC (FEC threshold is 9.5×10⁻³).The optical signal is amplified through a double-stage EDFA 1004 with amid-stage DCU 1006, followed by a WSS 1008 (such as a 100 GHz WSS) tofilter out amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from the transmit EDFA1004. At the receive end, an EDFA 1024 amplifies the received signal,and another WSS 1026 is used to demultiplex the channels. For 10 Goperation, the components within a box 1030 (two EDFAs and multipleDCU5) can be used in place of the EDFA 1024 to provide opticaldispersion compensation. At the transmit side, approximately −1,600ps/nm of dispersion pre-compensation can be placed in the mid-stage ofthe EDFA 1004 to improve transmission performance for both 100 G and 10G transmissions. Approximately −11,000 ps/nm dispersionpost-compensation at the receiver side can be used for 10 Gtransmissions.

The span formed by the optical fiber 1016 can be assembled with CORNINGVASCADE EX2000 optical fiber. The EX2000 fiber is a G.654B fiber (acutoff-shifted single-mode fiber with a cutoff wavelength ≦1530 nm) witha chromatic dispersion of ≦20.2 ps/nm-km and a large A_(err) of 112 μm²,enabling high optical launch powers into the fiber.

In the signal path, the forward ROPA 1014 and the backward ROPA 1018 arelocated at 128.0 km and 151.4 km, respectively, from the end-points orterminals. For 100 G transmissions, the distance between the ROPAs canbe adjusted to 327.6 km for a total span length of 607.0 km and a spanloss of 97.2 dB (losses of the ROPAs not included), resulting in anaverage fiber loss of 0.160 dB/km (including splices and connectors).For 10 G transmissions, the total distance can be increased to 632.0 km(352.6 km between ROPAs) for a span loss of 101.0 dB.

For the dedicated pump paths, fiber lengths of 128.2 km and 128.7 km canbe used in pump paths for the forward ROPA, and fiber lengths of 154.2km and 151.7 km can be used in pump paths for the backward ROPA.Distributed Raman pumps can use a common commercial Raman pump module(NU-WAVE OPTIMA SE24), each of which supports five pump wavelengthsdistributed in the range between 1420 nm and 1500 nm. However, the Ramanpump modules in the signal path may not use the pump at the longestwavelength, so those pump modules operate with four pump wavelengths inthe range between 1420 and 1480 nm. Turning off the longest pumpwavelength (with less “walkoff” between pump and signal in a dispersivefiber) helps to reduce the relative intensity noise (RIN) transferpenalty in the forward direction and provides more efficient Raman gainto the signal wavelength around 1563 nm. The pump modules in the pumppaths can use all five pump wavelengths. Due to the Raman interactionbetween the pump wavelengths along the fiber, the longest wavelength inboth the forward and backward pump modules can have the highest power atthe ROPA and can primarily be used to excite the Erbium fibers.

FIG. 11 illustrates one example implementation of the forward ROPA 1014in the system 1000 of FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 11, the forward ROPA1014 includes optical paths 1102 a-1102 c, a bypass hybrid filter 1104,and a fiber amplifier 1106 (such as a 20 m Erbium fiber). The bypasshybrid filter 1104 includes an optical demultiplexer 1110, an opticalisolator 1112, and an optical multiplexer 1114. There is an additionaloptical multiplexer 1116 following the fiber amplifier 1106, whichgenerates output signals on an optical path 1118. An opticalcombiner/multiplexer unit here is implemented using the optical path1102 c and an optical multiplexer 1120. Pump power on the optical path1102 c is provided directly to the optical multiplexer 1114. Remnantpump power from the optical path 1102 a and pump power on the opticalpath 1102 b are provided to the optical multiplexer 1116 via the opticalmultiplexer 1120.

FIG. 12 illustrates one example implementation of the backward ROPA 1018in the system 1000 of FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 12, the backward ROPA1018 includes optical paths 1202 a-1202 c and multiple amplificationstages containing bypass hybrid filters 1204 a-1204 b and fiberamplifiers 1206 a-1206 b (such as 20 m Erbium fibers). Each of thebypass hybrid filters 1204 a-1204 b includes an optical demultiplexer1210 a-1210 b, an optical isolator 1212 a-1212 b, and an opticalmultiplexer 1214 a-1214 b. There is an additional optical multiplexer1216 preceding the fiber amplifier 1206 b, which receives signals on anoptical path 1218. An optical combiner/multiplexer unit here isimplemented using the optical path 1202 c and an optical multiplexer1220. Pump power on the optical path 1202 c is provided directly to theoptical multiplexer 1214 a. Remnant pump power from the optical path1202 a and pump power on the optical path 1202 b are provided to theoptical multiplexer 1216 via the optical multiplexer 1220. The opticaldemultiplexer 1210 b and the optical multiplexer 1214 b are tiedtogether. The hybrid filter 1204 b here splits the Erbium gain into twosections while allowing the fiber amplifiers to be excited from bothdirections, which can help to improve the noise figure (NF) of thebackward ROPA 1018.

During operation, the signal power launched into the optical link 1012 acan be −9.4 dBm for 100 G and −3.6 dBm for 10 G transmissions. The samedistributed Raman pump powers can be used for both 100 G and 10 Gtransmissions, such as 1860 mW in the signal path and 2060 mW in thepump paths (the same pump powers can be used for both forward andbackward pumping). The pump power reaching the EDF in the forward ROPAcan be 5.2 mW from the signal path and 8.7 mW and 8.2 mW for the twopump paths. The forward ROPA gain can be 18.8 dB for 100 G and 13.2 dBfor 10 G. At the backward ROPA, the pump power reaching the EDF can be1.7 mW, 3.3 mW, and 2.4 mW from the signal path and the two pump paths.The backward ROPA gain could be 25.4 dB gain at 100 G and 26.2 dB at 10G. The maximum power of the signal right after the forward ROPA at 128km could be +11.9 dBm for 100 G and +12.2 dBm for 10 G. The measuredOSNR at the receiver could be 13.7 dB (0.1 nm) for 100 G and 10.0 dB(0.1 nm) for 10 G, which is in good agreement with simulations (13.6 dB,10.1 dB).

Using this arrangement, the average pre-FEC BER over the duration of a45-hour BER stability test at 100 G transmission could be 1.18×10⁻²(corresponding to a Q of 7.1 dB) with less than 0.3 dBQ fluctuation andno uncorrected errors after SD-FEC. The total signal propagation penalty(which includes nonlinear, RIN, and MPI penalties) could be estimated tobe 0.6 dB in Q compared to back-to-back performance (Q of 7.7 dB at 13.7dB OSNR). A 30-hour stability test at 100 G unrepeatered transmissioncould have an average pre-FEC BER of 7.80×10⁻³ (corresponding to a Q of7.8 dB) with less than 0.2 dBQ fluctuation and no uncorrected errorsafter Ultra FEC.

Although FIGS. 10 through 12 illustrate one specific example of anoptical transmission system 1000 and related ROPAs 1014 and 1018,various changes may be made to FIGS. 10 through 12. For example,specific details provided above, such as specific distances, structures,and performance values, relate to a particular implementation of thesystem 1000. Any other suitable distances, structures, performancevalues, and other features could be used in the system 1000. Asparticular examples, each of the ROPAs 1014 and 1018 in the system 1000could be implemented in any other ways described above.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example multi-span optical transmission system1300 according to this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 13, the opticaltransmission system 1300 includes end-points or terminals 1302 and 1304,which could be the same as or similar to the end-points or terminals 102and 104. The end-points or terminals 1302 and 1304 are coupled by anoptical communication link that includes multiple spans 1306 a-1306 n ofoptical fibers and multiple ROPAs 1308 a-1308 m positioned in-line withthe multiple spans 1306 a-1306 n.

One or more of the ROPAs 1308 a-1308 m could be implemented using any ofthe ROPA designs described above and use at least three pump powers thatare wavelength and spatially multiplexed. For example, the ROPA 1308 aclosest to the end-point or terminal 1302 could receive and multiplex atleast three pump powers from the end-point or terminal 1302, and/or theROPA 1308 m closest to the end-point or terminal 1304 could receive andmultiplex at least three pump powers from the end-point or terminal1304. The other ROPAs between the ROPA 1308 a and the ROPA 1308 m coulddenote conventional ROPAs or could denote any of the ROPA designsdescribed above (in which case each of those ROPAs would receive andmultiplex at least three pump powers, such as from the closest end-pointor terminal).

Although FIG. 13 illustrates one example of a multi-span opticaltransmission system 1300, various changes may be made to FIG. 13. Forexample, the spans 1306 a-1306 n and ROPAs 1308 a-1308 m here form aunidirectional link from the end-point or terminal 1302 to the end-pointor terminal 1304. The same or similar structure could be replicated andreversed to form a unidirectional link from the end-point or terminal1304 to the end-point or terminal 1302, thereby forming a fiber pair.Multiple fiber pairs could also be used between the end-points orterminals 1302 and 1304.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example method 1400 for operating a ROPA in anoptical transmission system according to this disclosure. For ease ofexplanation, the method 1400 in FIG. 14 is described as being used inthe optical transmission system 100 of FIG. 1 using the ROPAarchitectures 200 and 300 of FIGS. 2 and 3. However, the method 1400could be used in any other suitable system and with any other suitableROPA architectures, including the other systems and ROPA architecturesdescribed above.

As shown in FIG. 14, optical signals and remnant pump power are receivedat a ROPA at step 1402. This could include, for example, a forward ROPA110 or 130 receiving optical signals and a remnant of first pump powerover the same optical fiber 114 a or 134 a. This could also include abackward ROPA 112 or 132 receiving optical signals over one opticalfiber 120 or 140 and a remnant of first pump power over another opticalfiber 122 a or 142 a.

Additional pump powers are received at the ROPA at step 1404. This couldinclude, for example, the ROPA 110, 112, 130, 132 receiving at leastsecond and third pump powers over additional optical fibers 114 b-114 n,122 b-122 n, 134 b-134 n, 142 b-142 n. In some embodiments, the ROPAreceives two additional pump powers over two additional optical fibers.

The pump powers are wavelength and spatially multiplexed at step 1406.This could include, for example, an optical combiner/multiplexer unit208 or 308 in the ROPA 110, 112, 130, 132 combining at least two of thepump powers and supplying different pump powers to different locationswithin the ROPA 110, 112, 130, 132. As described above, at least one ofthe pump powers could be provided directly to an optical multiplexer(without combination), while other pump powers could be combined priorto be provided to an optical multiplexer. However, any other suitablewavelength and spatial multiplexing could be used.

The optical signals are amplified in the ROPA using the pump powers atstep 1408. This could include, for example, one or more fiber amplifiersin one or more amplification stages of the ROPA 110, 112, 130, 132amplifying the optical signals. The fiber amplifiers can receive pumppowers in the forward direction and/or the backward direction dependingon how the pump powers are spatially multiplexed in the ROPA.

The amplified optical signals are output at step 1410. This couldinclude, for example, the forward ROPA 110 or 130 outputting theamplified optical signals over the optical fiber 120 or 140. This couldalso include the backward ROPA 112 or 132 outputting the amplifiedoptical signals over the optical fiber 122 a or 142 a.

Although FIG. 14 illustrates one example of a method 1400 for operatinga ROPA in an optical transmission system, various changes may be made toFIG. 14. For example, while shown as a series of steps, various steps inFIG. 14 could overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, oroccur any number of times.

Note that any suitable control mechanism could be used to control thewavelength and spatial multiplexing provided in a ROPA. The wavelengthand spatial multiplexing could be set to have a specific configuration(which may or may not change over time), or the wavelength and spatialmultiplexing could routinely or repeatedly change in order toaccommodate changing conditions within an optical transmission system.If the wavelength and spatial multiplexing can change over time, acomputing device or other control mechanism could use any suitablecontrol logic for controlling the wavelength and spatial multiplexing inorder to obtain desirable amplification results using the ROPA.

In some embodiments, various functions described in this patent documentare implemented or supported by a computer program that is formed fromcomputer readable program code and that is embodied in a computerreadable medium. The phrase “computer readable program code” includesany type of computer code, including source code, object code, andexecutable code. The phrase “computer readable medium” includes any typeof medium capable of being accessed by a computer, such as read onlymemory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, a compactdisc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of memory. A“non-transitory” computer readable medium excludes wired, wireless,optical, or other communication links that transport transitoryelectrical or other signals. A non-transitory computer readable mediumincludes media where data can be permanently stored and media where datacan be stored and later overwritten, such as a rewritable optical discor an erasable memory device.

It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words andphrases used throughout this patent document. The terms “application”and “program” refer to one or more computer programs, softwarecomponents, sets of instructions, procedures, functions, objects,classes, instances, related data, or a portion thereof adapted forimplementation in a suitable computer code (including source code,object code, or executable code). The terms “transmit,” “receive,” and“communicate,” as well as derivatives thereof, encompasses both directand indirect communication. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as wellas derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or”is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrase “associated with,” as well asderivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within,interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with,couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave,juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a propertyof, have a relationship to or with, or the like. The phrase “at leastone of,” when used with a list of items, means that differentcombinations of one or more of the listed items may be used, and onlyone item in the list may be needed. For example, “at least one of: A, B,and C” includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, Aand C, B and C, and A and B and C.

The description in the present application should not be read asimplying that any particular element, step, or function is an essentialor critical element that must be included in the claim scope. The scopeof patented subject matter is defined only by the allowed claims.Moreover, none of the claims invokes 35 U.S.C. §112(f) with respect toany of the appended claims or claim elements unless the exact words“means for” or “step for” are explicitly used in the particular claim,followed by a participle phrase identifying a function. Use of termssuch as (but not limited to) “mechanism,” “module,” “device,” “unit,”“component,” “element,” “member,” “apparatus,” “machine,” “system,”“processor,” or “controller” within a claim is understood and intendedto refer to structures known to those skilled in the relevant art, asfurther modified or enhanced by the features of the claims themselves,and is not intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. §112(f).

While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generallyassociated methods, alterations and permutations of these embodimentsand methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly,the above description of example embodiments does not define orconstrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterationsare also possible without departing from the scope of the invention asdefined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a remote opticallypumped amplifier (ROPA) comprising: a bypass filter configured toreceive an optical signal and first pump power and to separate theoptical signal and the first pump power; an amplifier configured toreceive the optical signal from the bypass filter and to amplify theoptical signal; and an optical combiner/multiplexer configured toreceive the first pump power from the bypass filter, receive at leastsecond and third pump powers, combine at least two of the first, secondand third pump powers, and provide different pump powers or combinationsof pump powers to different locations within the ROPA to feed theamplifier.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the bypass filtercomprises a first optical multiplexer optically coupled to a first sideof the amplifier, the first optical multiplexer configured to feed atleast one of the pump powers to the amplifier in a first direction; andthe ROPA further comprises a second optical multiplexer opticallycoupled to a second side of the amplifier, the second opticalmultiplexer configured to feed at least one other of the pump powers tothe amplifier in a second direction.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2,wherein: the optical combiner/multiplexer is configured to wavelengthmultiplex the pump powers by combining at least two of the pump powers;and the optical combiner/multiplexer is configured to spatiallymultiplex the pump powers by providing different pump powers orcombinations of pump powers to different ones of the opticalmultiplexers.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bypass filtercomprises: an optical demultiplexer configured to separate the opticalsignal and the first, pump power; an optical multiplexer configured tocombine the optical signal and at least one of the pump powers, theoptical multiplexer optically coupled to the amplifier; and an opticalisolator configured to isolate the first pump power from the opticalmultiplexer.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the opticalcombiner/multiplexer comprises multiple pump combiners each configuredto combine at least two of the pump powers.
 6. The apparatus of claim 2,wherein the optical combiner/multiplexer is configured to provide atleast one of the pump powers to one of the optical multiplexers withoutcombination with any other pump powers.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the ROPA comprises a forward ROPA configured to receive theoptical signal and the first pump power over a common optical fiber. 8.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ROPA comprises a backward ROPAconfigured to receive the optical signal over a first optical fiber, andto receive the first pump power over a second optical fiber.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein: the ROPA comprises a multi-stage ROPA;one stage of the multi-stage ROPA comprises the bypass filter and theamplifier; and at least one additional stage of the multi-stage ROPAcomprises at least one additional bypass filter and at least oneadditional amplifier.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theamplifier comprises a fiber amplifier.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the ROPA is configured to receive all of the pump powers overmultiple optical fibers and does not include any pump sources.
 12. Asystem comprising: an optical communication link comprising a remoteoptically pumped amplifier (ROPA), the ROPA comprising: a bypass filterconfigured to receive an optical signal and first pump power and toseparate the optical signal and the first pump power; an amplifierconfigured to receive the optical signal from the bypass filter and toamplify the optical signal; and an optical combiner/multiplexerconfigured to receive the first pump power from the bypass filter,receive at least second and third pump powers, combine at least two ofthe first, second and third pump powers, and provide different pumppowers or combinations of pump powers to different locations within theROPA to feed the amplifier.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein: thebypass filter comprises a first optical multiplexer optically coupled toa first side of the amplifier, the first optical multiplexer configuredto feed at least one of the pump powers to the amplifier in a firstdirection; and the ROPA further comprises a second optical multiplexeroptically coupled to a second side of the amplifier, the second opticalmultiplexer configured to feed at least one other of the pump powers tothe amplifier in a second direction.
 14. The system of claim 13,wherein: the optical combiner/multiplexer is configured to wavelengthmultiplex the pump powers by combining at least two of the pump powers;and the optical combiner/multiplexer is configured to spatiallymultiplex the pump powers by providing different pump powers orcombinations of pump powers to different ones of the opticalmultiplexers.
 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the bypass filtercomprises: an optical demultiplexer configured to separate the opticalsignal and the first pump power; an optical multiplexer configured tocombine the optical signal and at least one of the pump powers, theoptical multiplexer optically coupled to the amplifier; and an opticalisolator configured to isolate the first pump power from the opticalmultiplexer.
 16. The system of claim 12, wherein: the ROPA comprises abackward ROPA; and the optical communication link further comprises aforward ROPA and an optical fiber coupling the forward ROPA and thebackward ROPA.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the opticalcommunication link comprises one of a pair of optical communicationlinks, another of the optical communication links comprising anotherforward ROPA and another backward ROPA.
 18. The system of claim 12,wherein the optical communication link comprises a multi-span link. 19.A method comprising: receiving an optical signal and first pump power ata remote optically pumped amplifier (ROPA); separating the opticalsignal and the first pump power using a bypass filter of the ROPA;amplifying the optical signal, using an amplifier of the ROPA; receivingthe first pump power from the bypass filter and at least second andthird pump powers at an optical combiner/multiplexer of the ROPA; andcombining at least two of the first, second and third pump powers andproviding different pump powers or combinations of pump powers todifferent locations within the ROPA to feed the amplifier.
 20. Themethod of claim 19, wherein the first pump power represents a remnant ofpump power used for Raman amplification of the optical signal.
 21. Themethod of claim 19, wherein: the bypass filter comprises a first opticalmultiplexer optically coupled to a first side of the amplifier, thefirst optical multiplexer configured to feed at least one of the pumppowers to the amplifier in a first direction; and the ROPA furthercomprises a second optical multiplexer optically coupled to a secondside of the amplifier, the second optical multiplexer configured to feedat least one other of the pump powers to the amplifier in a seconddirection.
 22. The method of claim 19, wherein combining at least two ofthe first, second and third pump powers and providing different pumppowers or combinations of pump powers to different locations within theROPA comprise: wavelength multiplexing the pump powers by combining atleast two of the pump powers; and spatially multiplexing the pump powersby providing different pump powers or combinations of pump powers todifferent ones of the optical multiplexers.
 23. The method of claim 19,wherein the ROPA comprises a ROPA in a multi-span optical communicationlink.